Kings coach Mike Brown on facing Warriors at the Chase Center: ‘It’s
going to be tough as nails’
Brown's Kings have lost both games at the Chase Center this season
>Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown talks to his team during their
game against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter of Game 2 of
the Western Conference First Round playoffs, at the Golden 1 Center in
Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area
News Group)
By JASON MASTRODONATO | jmastrodonato@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area
News Group
PUBLISHED: April 20, 2023 at 6:59 p.m. | UPDATED: April 21, 2023 at 3:43
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/20/kings-coach-mike-brown-on-facing-warriors-at-the-chase-center-its-going-to-be-tough-as-nails/

SAN FRANCISCO — Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown knows first-hand what
kind of home-court advantage the Warriors were set to have on Thursday
night.

Heading into Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference
playoffs with a 2-0 lead over the defending champions, Brown was
expecting a rowdy crowd at the Chase Center.

“Oh man, it’s gonna be tough,” Brown said before Game 3. “It’s gonna be
a dog fight. The fans here are fantastic; the team’s going to feed off
the energy of the fans, they’re going to rally behind Draymond (Green),
which they should. It’s going to be a great atmosphere out there. It’s
going to be tough as nails to try to get a win.”

Green, suspended for Game 3 after stepping on the chest of Domantas
Sabonis in Game 2, was planning to watch Game 3 from home, said Warriors
coach Steve Kerr.

“I think our crowd will help cover that,” Kerr said. “So it’ll be fine.”

Brown spent six seasons as Kerr’s assistant before he took over as the
head coach of the Kings this season. The Brown-led Kings have played in
the Chase Center twice this year and lost both times, a 130-125 loss in
October and a 116-113 loss in November.

The two teams split both regular season games held in Sacramento, but
the Kings surged out to a 2-0 series lead by winning both games at the
Golden 1 Center to start the playoff series.

“Our guys have been through everything,” Kerr said. “It’s a great
challenge for us. And we’re excited for the challenge.”

Each one of the 18,604 seats at the Chase Center were covered with gold
t-shirts that said “Gold Blooded” across the chest as most fans put them
on before gametime.

Home-court advantage is expected to mean even more in this series, given
the Warriors went 33-8 at home this season compared to 11-30 on the road.

“It’s better to be home,” said Kevon Looney. “We’ve been a lot better at
home. We’ve handled adversity a lot better at home. Having that crowd
makes a huge difference. We have the best crowd in the NBA. It gives us
that extra boost we need.”

The Kings were 25-16 on the road this year compared to 23-18 at home.

Kerr was hoping his team would handle the Kings’ physicality better
after he said the Kings “were the aggressors” in Game 2. Kerr said he
though the referees set the tone for a chippy game when they chose not
to make several calls during the early portion of Game 2.

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Looney said it was important the Warriors match the Kings’ strength in
Game 3.

Having the home crowd ought to help. The Warriors are 131-55 all-time
during playoff games at home.

“We’ve played well here all season,” said Moses Moody. “There’s a lot of
support from the fans, from the community. With everybody coming out
doing what they do, we’re working together. They’ll do their part, show
some love, show some energy, and we’ll show ours too.”

--
Jason Mastrodonato | Enterprise and General Assignment Sports Reporter
Jason Mastrodonato is a Bay Area News Group enterprise/general
assignment sports reporter covering the Giants, Warriors, 49ers and more
for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A Northeastern University
graduate with a BA degree in business administration, Jason began his
career as a co-op covering high school sports at the Boston Globe in
2009. He spent 12 years on the Red Sox beat for MLB.com, MassLive.com
and the Boston Herald before he joined the Bay Area News Group in 2023.
He's a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and votes
for the National Baseball Hall of Fame starting in 2023.